Series: Unforgiven Country Series by Jenika Snow
Total pages in book: 14
Estimated words: 12868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 64(@200wpm)___ 51(@250wpm)___ 43(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 12868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 64(@200wpm)___ 51(@250wpm)___ 43(@300wpm)
I shake my big body, fur moving over my muscles and bones.
I tip my head back and howl.
Freedom.
I turn my head and stare at Kendra. She looks nervous, anxious. I don’t blame her.
I walk up to her, her body tight, her eyes wide. I inhale deeply, not sensing any fear, but instead can tell she’s excited and full of wonder.
This is all so new to her.
Mine.
My mate.
My wolf wants her to shift so that we can run together. He’s got the front seat now that I am turned.
I butt my head up against her hand, making a low sound in the back of my throat when she runs her fingers through my fur, around my ear, and down my neck.
I need her to shift, need her to run with me, for us to be fully immersed in this world together.
I need the pack to see that as Alpha, I’ve found my mate. She will be by my side always, and they’ll accept her. They won’t have a choice or they’ll deal with me and my beast.
“God, I can’t believe this is real,” she says, but I sense her acceptance. Finally, she takes a step back. I open up my mind for her, so she can read it, so she knows what I’m thinking.
“I’m here for you. Always. We’re waiting, mate. Shift. Run with us. Feel the freedom the change brings.”
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” she responds, sounding hesitant now.
“Just close your eyes and let your wolf rise up. She’ll know what to do. She’ll take the lead.”
10
KENDRA
I am scared, nervous. The fact that I have a wolf inside of me scares the shit out of me, and the reality that I can turn into one is more than a little terrifying.
But as I run my fingers through Wyatt’s fur, feeling the strength inside of me, knowing that I’ll never be alone, that he’ll always protect me, I feel this renewed sense of determination wash through me.
“Baby, just let go, let your wolf take over. There’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m right here. I will always be here.”
I hear Wyatt’s voice in my head, and I close my eyes, exhaling slowly and feeling the wash of power run through me. The tingling starts in my fingers and toes, moving up my limbs, settling in my core. And then I feel it finally claim me.
Bones break and realign, skin is replaced with fur, and my face transforms so it is now one of a wolf.
There is no pain, only an intense need to do this, to let my wolf take over, to submit to her. And then I fall on all fours, my senses heightened. Smells, sounds, even my vision is crystal clear, everything in startling clarity.
Wyatt is right beside me, butting his head against mine gently, his voice in my head praising me, his wolf smelling me. He is pleased. I feel it as if it were my own emotions, as if I were the one experiencing them. Just like I know his wolf is happy too. Just like mine.
Mates.
Then I run, not to get away, not because I am frightened, but because I just feel I have to.
My legs start moving before I even realize what I am doing. I run through the woods, my paws hitting the ground with precision, accuracy. I can hear Wyatt behind me, know that he can overtake me, but he lets me lead the way, lets me explore and experience this.
And then he is right beside me, both of us running in tandem, my pleasure so intense I can barely contain it, barely understand it. We run for hours, and I feel no exhaustion. I only experience pure freedom.
Eventually we slow and I follow Wyatt, instinctively knowing where he is taking me. He wants me to see his pack, wants them to recognize me as his mate.
I’ve been so worried about being with him, letting a shifter claim me. I knew his pack would never accept me as a human. But it looks like fate took care of that for me, solved my problems.
I trot quietly alongside of Wyatt, stopping only when he does. He keeps his body in front of mine and I know it’s to protect me, a territorial and possessive instinct.
Then we stand here in the clearing, just the two of us, the wind picking up. Immediately I smell them, the others, his pack.
Now my pack.
They step out from behind the trees, some howling, some making low sounds. I know what they mean, feel them as if we are all connected as one. They are nervous, excited. They feel anticipation, hesitation.
“My mate.” Wyatt address everyone. “As Alpha of this pack, you will respect her, accept her, and know that if anyone has a problem with it, they will challenge me, and me alone.”